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Q: Didn't Jim Brown have a "Shaft"-style movie series in the '70s? What was that called?

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Author: 
Adam Thomlison / TV Media

Jim Brown's blaxploitation franchise was unbelievably "Shaft"-like, right down to the names. 

"Shaft," probably the best-remembered film of the genre, was released in 1971 and featured Richard Roundtree as a tough detective who tangles with the mob. In 1972, Jim Brown appeared in "Slaughter," playing a tough ex-Green Beret who ... tangles with the mob. 

Roundtree appeared in a sequel, "Shaft's Big Score," in 1972. A year later "Slaughter" got a sequel: "Slaughter's Big Rip-Off." 

The "exploitation" part of the term "blaxploitation" refers to the fact that the films were churned out fast and cheap in order to capitalize on, or exploit, a trend or market, and the fact that most of the films were very similar is a central part of the phenomenon.

"Just about every tough black actor was given the opportunity to create his own blaxploitation hero in the early '70s," wrote film critic George R. Reis for DVDDrive-In.com. "Ron O'Neal had 'Super Fly,' Richard Roundtree had 'Shaft,' Fred Williamson had 'Hammer,' and Jim Brown had 'Slaughter.'"

It's worth noting that "Slaughter," "Super Fly" and "Hammer" all came out in 1972, meaning that "Shaft" had the edge on all of them. 

While Roundtree went on to do a third sequel (1973's "Shaft in Africa"), Brown's series stopped with two. 

Brown himself is still going strong, though. He most recently played himself in the 2014 sports film "Draft Day."

 

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